I guess this is my unofficial intro to this forum. I've had an RT and RS 1100 recently and just traded my 94 RS1100 in on a Miata. Yeah, possibly a bonehead move but I really want an 1150GS and with a selection of bikes available to me I thought it was only fair to get something for the family to have fun with (Miata). So I'm stuck with a Duc Monster and my trusty RZ350 racebike.

This pic was taken at Little Tally back in February. This was the WERA V5 race....had a 14 year old hot on my tail but I held him off for 3rd place. Good kid; I'll probably be watching him on TV in a few years!

I guess this is my unofficial intro to this forum. I've had an RT and RS 1100 recently and just traded my 94 RS1100 in on a Miata. Yeah, possibly a bonehead move but I really want an 1150GS and with a selection of bikes available to me I thought it was only fair to get something for the family to have fun with (Miata). So I'm stuck with a Duc Monster and my trusty RZ350 racebike.

This pic was taken at Little Tally back in February. This was the WERA V5 race....had a 14 year old hot on my tail but I held him off for 3rd place. Good kid; I'll probably be watching him on TV in a few years!

Welcome! I've had wood for an RZ for quite a while... any sage advice that's RZ specific? (I'm a mechanic, tons of two stroke experience) What to check for? What to avoid?

I've raced RD400's and RZ350's for years. There are still plenty of parts available and about 4 decent Forums to go to for advice. As far as picking up an RZ...unfortunetly it looks like the boat sailed on cheap RZ's about 10 years ago. I saw an RZ500 for sale the other day with 35K miles and been sitting for 10 years and the auction is up to $5500. Just stupid money considering the work needed to get it road worthy again.

The best deals are found if you know a local person that has one and doesn't really feel like messing with it. I know a guy that picked one up last month for $500 but it was in 300 pieces. The plus is that they are easy to work on and like I said, parts are easy to get.

My race bike is currently in 300 pieces.....I'm putting a 2004 R6 front end on it and an FZ600 swingarm (a common swap) so I can mount modern rubber. Then it's time for engine work! Looking at a 421cc kit.

If you look hard there are still a few deals to be had on RD350's and 400's. Or go the smaller route to start.....plenty of 125's, 200's and 250's out there. I actually have 3 RD125's, also in 100's of pieces.

I guess I didn't really answer your question. The main thing I look for is condition of the cylinder and play of the connecting rods. It is so easy to remove the head and do a visual inspection. If the seller refuses, that is a red flag. Everything else about them is so simple that I don't worry. A monkey with a wrench can fix them. Now tuning them properly....that is a black art!

It's an addiction......you can't have just one 2 stroke!

My RD400....took it down to the frame and rebuilt from scratch..

And I like a 4 stroke every now and then too! My FZR400 that I recently got rid of...

I've got an RD400 out in the garage that was abandoned on an empty lot near my house.
Sat there for several weeks, so I asked around and nobody knew who owned it. The plate was missing, so I recorded the VIN # and called the local police, who told me it wasn't listed as stolen. I took it home.
The bike had been parked in an alley behind a rental house a few blocks away from where it was abondoned for 3 or 4 years. I think the owner of the bike moved out nd left it, so the rental owner just moved it to the empty lot to get rid of it.
The motor is free, and feels like it has compression.
Someday I might get it running and turn it into a cheap track bike.

She's inching along, clip-ons, rearsets, steering stabilizer and fork brace all removed (DPO had a track day) and tubular handlebars re-installed, etc. Brakes are all dismantled, new rubbers on hand. Cyls are back from Millennium Technologies...